Former President Trump scheduled to visit Louisiana next week

Former President Donald Trump will hold a fundraiser in Metairie for his election campaign on July 25, the Louisiana Republican Party announced Tuesday.

Trump is under federal indictment, accused of hoarding classified documents after he left the White House. But that doesn’t seem to have dampened Republicans’ support for him. Polls show him to be the leading GOP candidate in next year’s presidential contest.

It’s not known yet whether Trump, who lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, will speak to his fans at one of his arena-sized rallies.

Louis Gurvich, the state party chairman, said not all the details have been nailed down, but described the event as “a great way for donors and activists to spend time with the senior leaders of the party.” Those who attend the upcoming event at the home of retired banker Joseph Canizaro will have to contribute $23,200 to Trump’s re-election campaign.

Trump carried Louisiana in both 2016 and 2020, and in each election, Canizaro and retired shipbuilder Boysie Bollinger were his finance chairmen. They are organizing this year’s event as well.

Bollinger said in an interview Tuesday, “Trump is the frontrunner. I thought he might go down in the polls. Unless he’s put in jail, I don’t think he will. And no one else seems to be moving much.”

Trump visited Louisiana several times as president, including for a 2019 fundraiser at Canizaro’s home that netted his re-election campaign about $4 million.

Trump also attended the College Football National Championship game in January 2020 won by LSU over Clemson.